Who knew that following my curiosity and have fun with photos of flowers would ever lead to this— The Syzygy Oracle now listed on amazon for pre-release sale in Nov 2013? This journey into creativity started with learning to make kaleidoscopic mandalas, which is still a satisfying experience (as well as a mystifying one as you never know what will finally emerge.) A kaleidoscopic flower mandala composed of pink rosesWhile having fun with no goal other than the sheer enjoyment in what I was engaged in my artistic life, I was contemplating the Tarot as a Jewish woman, and felt intrigued and distanced by the traditional Rider-Waite images. What would happen, I wondered, if the patriarchal layering of the card images were lifted? What would be revealed? What if the names of the cards like ‘The Devil’ and ‘The Hierophant’ were more comfortable for Jews? What if the imagery in the cards featured females suggesting the same universal truths as the traditional cards? Why are the 22 Major Arcana cards numbered from 0-21? My immediate association with the number 22 is the correspondence to the numbers in the Hebrew alphabet. Could I use the outline of the Hebrew letters to form kaleidoscopic patterns in the same way I made the mandalas? Could the traditional layout of the cards in a ‘Tree of Life’ design be modified from a linear journey (from the top of the Tree to its base) become a circular sojourn, more in keeping with the nature of our lives and the heroic journeys we all undertake? Could the Tarot provide a daily spiritual tool instead of just a prognosticative one that we can all easily use as we become our own Tarot readers? Would associating each card with a Hebrew letter reveal more of the hidden world than anticipated— for example, the first, 13th and final Hebrew letters form the word ‘emet‘meaning truth— does a journey through the cards reveal the truth of our lives?Alef-mem-tav spells ’emet’ The Syzygy Oracle: Transformational Tarot and The Tree of Life is a joyful result of my questioning. I celebrate the ‘Eve’ energy within me— curious, courageous and intuitive, that moved my personal story forward to seeing the book now available for sale and my knowing the oracle card decks are already proving to be a favorite tool for the many who have already purchased them from me at www.sacredfemininekabbalah.com and heathermendel.com.
